"I came for her!" Arietta said angrily. "She escaped from the Commandant again."
"Who's the Commandant?" they heard Lucky ask.
"Did you come back for L again?" Crim asked. "If you did, you can't have her!"
"No! Not this again!" L iterated noiselessly. "Why does this always happen?"
Asch rounded the corner.1 "Arietta! On whose orders are you acting?"
"The Commandant told me to come and get a girl called 'Krim2'." She said with disdain.
"I didn't ask why."
L was getting irritated and Arietta was pulling her arm. "Let's go! I can't keep the Commandant waiting, now can I?"
"Let me talk to my family and I'll go with you" L told her. "No questions asked."
"Really?" she asked as she painfully squeezed L's arm.
"Really." She answered
"Okay, but only 5 minutes."
"I'll go with her, but just so Van doesn't hurt her. Please, help my family get home." L asked everyone. "I'll be able to contact you in a few days."
"But Peril L…"
"No buts Lucky. I'll try to visit you soon." L whispered to her brother. "Tell Crim I'll be by when you guys have your birthday party next year, 'kay?"
"'kay Sis! We'll miss you a lot."
"I'll miss you too." L said sadly. "At least you'll still have Cat."
Everyone said their goodbyes and L walked toward Arietta.
"All right! You're ready now, right?"
L looked at her blankly and started to pull Arietta along. "Yes. I'm ready now. Let's go, like you said 'We can't keep the Commandant waiting'."
"What the…" Arietta gasped. "She sounded just like me!"
"I can mimic anyone once I hear their voice." 'cept for my sis, but that's because we sound alike anyway.
They heard a voice from behind them say. "Oh, what a beautiful butterfly." They looked ev'rywhere2. Where'd the sound come from? was the collective response.
"Come on." Arietta whined. "The Commandant'll come looking for us if we don't hurry."
"Sorry, 'Rietta.3 I kinda got sidetracked fer a bit." L said nonchalantly. "I don't really care if the Commandant's after me if my family's safe."
"They're not right now." Asch said.
"WHAT! I thought I asked you ta get them ta home!" L shouted questionably as she shoved her mom. "I'm really sorry, but you need to go now."
"Where do we need to go, daughter?"
"You need ta get inta the 'car' and go home now, okay?"
Christy shouted." That's no fair!"
At the same time Kiki shouted. "Don't leave us again!"
"Sorry, but it's ta protect you guys and you've got the others ta protect ya." L said thickly. She cleared her throat before saying. "I'm not that important anyway."
Luke escorted L's parents and siblings to their vehicle and L saw it take off her eyes looked dead.
I wish I didn't have ta stay on this weird planet. It seems I never am truly loved.4
I thought you knew that you were loved and truly blessed.5
Not really. No one really had time ta look after me, so I started ta learn martial arts ta
help protect my family.
What a sad child. I wish you didn't have carry to this alone.
I choose to do so. I don't wish ta burden any one with my problems…
I wish someone told me how bad a life you've had.
Heh heh. It hasn't been that bad, I have some good friends where I live.
L snapped out of her thoughts and said in Van's voice. "Arietta. If you don't hurry and find her, I'll not let you keep your animals anymore."
Arietta called a falcon and L hopped on and pulled Arietta up. "Bye. See ya in a little while." L called back.
"Oh, yeah! Hey, Ion?"
"Yes?"
"Jace is doing better!"
"Thank you for the information!"
CHANGE OF SCENE CHORAL CASTLE
"I thought you started to look for us, Commandant." Arietta said with a tone of wonder.
L was standing faced away from everyone struck with silent laughter. "Lauranthalossa6?"
L responded as soon as she stopped shaking. "Sir."
"Did you trick Arietta again?"
"What if I did?"
"You'll have to clean her animals' house."
"Fine with me, but you can't blame me. She makes it too easy."
After leaving Van's room
"You did it again?" Arietta asked agitatedly. "I told you never to do that again."
"I'm sorry, but I was gettin' bored after my family left and you were really the only one I could really annoy at the moment." She said dismissively. "I didn't want Asch ta kill me either."
"He did what!" Arietta snapped, then asked in her normal voice. "Did you he kill you?"
"Yeah, well almost." L said. "Good thing he missed my vitals or I'd be pushin' up daises."
"What does pushing up daises mean?"
"'t means dead. It's a sayin' where I'm from." L explained. "Not that you could get there though."
"I've got a question for you." A voice from behind them said. "Where's the off button?"
"I don't have one. Once my mouth starts running, I can't stop talking unless I see bloo….. BLOOD7! COOL!" L started squirming out from under Arietta who fell on top of her when she yelled. "Can I clean your sword Asch? Please. Please, Please?" She asked eagerly.
"No. Last time you did, you left it out too long and it started to melt." Asch told the girl.
"That was nearly 6 years ago Asch. And it so happens that I've got a picture of Kiki ta prove it." L pulled a photo of a 2 year old Kiki out of her pocket. "This is the same girl you saw earlier with my parents."
"I still won't let you clean my sword. You'd have better luck with Largo or Sync."
"But their weapons never get bloody like yours does, besides, if I asked them ta get blood on their weapons they'd say it was your job." L sounded sad. "And anyway, I don't use weapons so I can't clean what I have."
A Few Hours Later
All the God-Generals heard something. It sounded like singing. A few of them left their rooms to out who was making the melody.
This is what they heard:
8Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
And is sleeping in a manger tonight
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
"I wonder where it's coming from." Arietta said. "Asch, will you come with me?"
"Why not, I've got nothing better to do."
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping Oh little town of Jerusalem
While you were sleeping
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping
As they got closer to the courtyard, the singing got stronger and louder.
"Why is it louder here than there?" Arietta asks incredulously. "It doesn't make any sense."
"When has it ever?" Asch responds in the same tone. "This place is crazy."
United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
And has carried His bride away in the night
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping United States of America
Will we be sleeping
Looks like another silent night
"It stopped. I wish it hadn't. It was so pretty and soothing."
"Did you notice it stopped as we neared 'His'9 room."
1) He was the one who found Lucky.
2) This is one of L's nicknames.
3) The nickname she gave Arietta. Van doesn't know about it yet.
4) These are her thoughts.
5) This is a mysterious voice for now.
6) It's part of her title. She's God-General Lauranthalossa the Learned
7) She has a little obsession with blood.
8) "While You Were Sleeping" By Casting Crowns
9) Asch calls L a boy since she's so different from most of the other female God-Generals